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Robert J. Desnick, MD, PhD, Named Dean of the Genetics and Genomics Department at Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Robert J. Desnick, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, has been named Dean for Genetics and Genomics for Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

New York, NY

– October 21, 2009 /Press Release/ ––

Robert J. Desnick, PhD, MD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, has been named Dean for Genetics and Genomics for Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Desnick will also serve as Interim Director of the new Genomics Institute, one of six core technology institutes, which joins 14 other established institutes dedicated to translational research and advancing patient care at Mount Sinai.

Appointed Associate Dean for Genome-Based Research earlier this year, Dr. Desnick has played a pivotal role in the development and implementation of Mount Sinai’s genetic and genomic research programs and initiatives. Building on this experience, Dr. Desnick will work with all departments and institutes to advance basic and clinical research using the latest technologies, and will facilitate the translation of new discoveries into diagnostics and therapeutics.

Dr. Desnick is a past Chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and also a former Chair of the AAMC’s Council of Academic Societies. He currently serves on the AAMC’s Board of Directors. He is an internationally renowned molecular and biochemical geneticist who has published over 600 research papers and chapters, and has edited nine books. Dr. Desnick first joined the Mount Sinai faculty in 1977 as the Arthur J. and Nellie Z. Cohen Professor of Pediatrics and Genetics, and Chief of the Division of Medical and Molecular Genetics. In 1993, he became the first Chairman of the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

He is an elected member of the Society for Pediatric Research, the American Pediatric Society, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the American Association of Physicians. He is a Fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He has also received various research awards, including the E.H. Ahrens, Jr. Award for Research from the Association for Patient-Oriented Research and the Award for Excellence in Clinical Research from the National Center for Research Resources from the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Desnick is also a past Director of the American Board of Medical Genetics, a Founding Diplomat of the American College of Medical Genetics, a past member of the Board of Directors of the American College of Medical Genetics Foundation, and a founder and Past-President of the Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics.

About The Mount Sinai Medical Center
The Mount Sinai Medical Center encompasses The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The Mount Sinai Hospital is one of the nation’s oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. Founded in 1852, Mount Sinai today is a 1,171-bed tertiary-care teaching facility that is internationally acclaimed for excellence in clinical care. Last year, nearly 50,000 people were treated at Mount Sinai as inpatients, and there were nearly 450,000 outpatient visits to the Medical Center.

Mount Sinai School of Medicine is internationally recognized as a leader in groundbreaking clinical and basic-science research, as well as having an innovative approach to medical education. With a faculty of more than 3,400 in 38 clinical and basic science departments and centers, Mount Sinai ranks among the top 20 medical schools in receipt of National Institute of Health (NIH) grants.